This application is a 371 of PCT/KR00/00931, filed Aug. 21, 1999, which claims priority of Korean Application No. 1999-34615 filed Aug. 20, 1999.
The present invention relates to natural invigorating, tea products and a method for preparing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to invigorative teas made of certain parasitic plants, alder and/or schizandra and a method for preparing the same.
Human beings are mentally and physically affected by various external and internal factors. Those factors are, weather, biosocial environments and nutritional conditions. Occasionally, the effect is exerted as a stress on the human body. Stress is said to be a stimulus or succession of stimuli of such magnitude as to tend to disrupt the homeostasis of the organism. In these days of multifunctional information-oriented society, human beings undergo various stresses, caused by physical, chemical and biological or emotional stimuli. Recent reports have revealed that men who are under severe or extensive stress become poor in virility due to reduction in their sperm concentration and sperm motility.
Generally, sperm motility is taken as an indicator for sperm viability (Noran et al., 1998), while semen motility is evaluated in terms of sperm concentration, percentage of morphologically abnormal sperms, ratio of living to dead sperm, semen volume, pH, initial vitality of sperms, and mass movement of sperms (Berndtson and Pickett, 1980).
After making an examination of sperm conditions of 50 persons in their twenties (24 years old on the average) and 44 persons aged 37-53 (42 years old on the average), who lived near Tokyo, Japan, the Medical College of Teikyo University, Japan, made a research report which contained a surprising result that the men in their forties had about 84 million sperm cells per ml on the average while the men in their twenties had a sperm count of as low as 46 millions, which is only 55% of the 40-49 age group""s average. Also, it is found in the research report that all of the men aged around forty were capable of procreation by the criteria reported by WHO in 1992 that the minimum sperm count for conception through ordinary sexual intercourse must amount to 20 million per ml, whereas only 86% of the men in their twenties satisfied this criteria. Similar sperm motilities were detected in the men in their twenties and forties: 27% and 28%, respectively.
However, sperms produced by the men in their twenties were measured to have a normal morphological ratio of 52%, which was lower than that of the men in their forties, measured to be 64%.
Also, the research report disclosed that the average sperm count of the men in their twenties and thirties had sharply reduced in comparison to that of men of the same ages 20 years ago, which were reported to have an average sperm count of 75 to 100 million in a similar research, adding that Japanese men had also suffered from the worldwide sperm count reduction phenomenon and that endocrine disruptors, called environmental hormones had been deduced to play an important role in the sperm count reduction.
Indeed, it has been known that the average sperm count from human males is 60% lower compared with 50 years ago. According to the report made by Dr Scott at the Copenhagen University Hospital in 1990, in a study for 14,000 men, it was found that the average sperm count was reduced to 66 million/ml with an average semen volume of 2.7 ml, representing a sharp reduction from the values of 110 million/ml and 3.9 ml respectively in 1940.
This sperm count reduction phenomenon was also confirmed by Dr. Auger, in France. He said that average sperm counts had dropped to sixty million in 1992 from eighty nine millions in 1973 with a reduction rate of 2.1% per year.
If the sperm counts of men continue to drop at this rate, mankind will face a sterility crisis, threatening its continued existence, within 60 years.
Having been regarded as a symbol of masculinity, being vigorous or having stamina is helpful in maintaining men""s health, as well as in their having sexual intercourse for preservation of the species or for pleasure.
Amid the current deluge of processed foods seasoned with chemicals, especially precooked foods, people tend to avoid natural foods. However, it is well known that one of the methods to retain the spirit and energy received from the natural system is to maintain a regimen of eating natural foods.
Artificially synthesized chemicals for use in industry and agriculture have long been known to have an abnormal influence on the workings of the endocrine systems of human beings and animals. Indeed, animals which are problematic in development, behavior or genital morphology owing to endocrine disruption, are now frequently found. This matter of grave concern is highly apt to happen to human beings. The chemicals are generically called endocrine disruptors, more well known as environmental hormones.
On the other hand, with an increase in interest about sex, some people seek to enhance their sexual potency by means of drugs or the like. In response to this tendency, a number of drugs are now commercially available. For example, medications have been developed to treat erectile dysfunction (impotence) in men. Also, people can obtain cream formulations to enhance sensual pleasure. In addition, it is suggested that alcohol improves human sex life because of its ability to relieve the tension of the nervous system. However, such drugs have many problems. The medication for treating impotence may be fatal to those who suffer from hypertension. Cream formulations are inconvenient for use in addition to being expensive. Alcohol users may be in danger of falling into alcoholism.
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has an object of providing invigorating tea products made of natural herbs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide food products which is invigorative and inexpensive
In one aspect of the present invention, there are provided natural invigorating tea products, comprising parasitic plants and alder and/or schizandrae as primary materials, which may be powdered, chipped or extracted and mixed with each other with a certain mixing ratio.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for preparing natural invigorating tea products, in which additional herbal materials comprising torilis fructus and polygala are used. The products of the present invention have been found to show satisfactory effects when taken at least twice a day.
The present invention provides natural tea products made of an extract of a first material comprising or selected from a group of certain parasitic plants and a second material of schizandra and/or leaf, sprig, root or fruit of alder, in which root, leaf or stem of polygala japonica Houtt and/or fruit or root of torilis japonica (Houttvkn) Dc. may, be added or mixed, and a method for preparing the same.
The present invention also provides natural tea products made of an extract of a material comprising or selected from a group of certain parasitic plants, and an extract of leaf, branch, root or fruit of alder, or an extract of schizandra, in which an extract from root, leaf or stem of polygala and/or an extract from fruit or root of torilis, and a method for preparing the same.
The parasitic plants for use in this invention include Boschniakia rossica (Cham. Et Schlecht) Fedtsch. et Fierov. (hereinafter referred to Boschniakia rossica Fedtsch.) being parasitized on alder, Orobanche coerulescens Steph. and Lathraea japonica Miq.
Each whole body of the above parasitic plants is known to be used for a material in herbal medicines for energizing and invigorating human bodies or for a drugstuff for the treatment of paralysis.
Various alder species may be used in the present invention. In particular, the species named Alnus japonica Steud. and Alni cortex et ramulus are useful in the present invention. Abundant in tannic materials in its leaves, sprig, roots, and fruits, alder is known to be effective for protecting gastric mucosa.
Schizandrae fructus is known with its scientific name of Schizandra chinensis Baillon.
Schizandra fruits are known to aid recovery of eyesight and to relieve the body of fatigue because they are rich in organic acids and saponin.
In addition, polygala japonica herba, scientifically named Polygala japonica Houtt., and torilis fructus, scientifically named Torilis japonica (Houtt.) Decandolle, are found to be effective in augmenting or aiding the invigorating effects of the above plants or herbs.
Polygala japonica herba, a perennial herb belonging to Polygalaceae, contains saponin in the root and is prescribed in herbal medicines to relieve asthma.
With essential oil and coumarine in its fruits, torilis fructus is known to be germicidal and insecticidal. Further, extracts from its fruit and root are generally used in herbal medicine to treat gynaecological disorders.
While already known for their individual herbal effects, the ingredients of the present invention complementarily exert their medicinal effects with each other. For instance, the invigorating and energizing effect of the parasitic plants is further enhanced or complemented by alder and schizandrae fructus. A synergistic effect for the parasitic herbs also can be obtained from torilis fructus and polygala japonica herba.